Clinical lung cancer
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Clinical lung cancer · Sep 2016
Comparative StudyAdjuvant Proton Beam Therapy in the Management of Thymoma: A Dosimetric Comparison and Acute Toxicities.
We evaluated the dosimetric differences between proton beam therapy (PBT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for resected thymoma. We simultaneously report our early clinical experience with PBT in this cohort. ⋯ PBT is clinically well tolerated after surgical resection of thymoma, and is associated with a significant reduction in dose to critical structures without compromising coverage of the target volume. Prospective evaluation and longer follow-up is needed to assess clinical outcomes and late toxicities.
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Clinical lung cancer · Sep 2016
ReviewBiomarkers for PD-1/PD-L1 Blockade Therapy in Non-Small-cell Lung Cancer: Is PD-L1 Expression a Good Marker for Patient Selection?
Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment modality in cancer therapy. With improved understanding of how to tip the balance of immune homeostasis, novel therapeutics targeting immune checkpoints have been developed, with durable responses observed in multiple solid tumors, including melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and non-small-cell lung cancer. Clinical trials have reported favorable responses using programmed cell death-1 protein receptor (PD-1)/programmed cell death-1 protein ligand (PD-L1) blockade as monotherapy and most impressively in combinatorial trials with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 protein blockade. ⋯ No consensus has yet been reached on whether PD-L1 expression is an ideal marker for patient selection. Recent research has shown promise for alternative markers, including T-cell immunohistochemistry, other immunologic markers, T-cell receptor clonality, and somatic mutational burden. However, additional studies are needed to assess the value of these as practical predictive biomarkers for patient selection and treatment response.
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Clinical lung cancer · Sep 2016
Proportion of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients that Would Have Been Eligible for Lung Cancer Screening.
Lung cancer screening is recommended for current smokers (CS) and former smokers (FS) who meet specific age and smoking criteria. We used existing criteria to estimate the proportion of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients that would have been screening-eligible. ⋯ Only a third of patients diagnosed with NSCLC were eligible for lung cancer screening based on USPSTF criteria. FS were less likely to meet all screening criteria due to only half meeting the quit-time criterion. Additional evidence is needed to evaluate the utility of restricting screening among FS to those who quit within 15 years.